| recently discovered androgyne |
[16 Aug 2012|07:38pm] |
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mood |
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Hello everyone.
I've been confused about my sexual orientation for about a year, (I'm about to turn 17, bio female) and I thought that was the issue. Soon after I started searching for an answer to my sexuality, I also realized that I was utterly confused about my gender. I don't think I realized before then because it was never an issue. I've been homeschooled my whole life and I never thought about it. After a year of searching for an answer and doing extensive research on the topics of transgenderism and all that is entailed with it, I discovered some passages about a third sex. So I started researching that and found androgynes. As I started to read more and more I finally got that moment where things just clicked into place and I realized that I was androgyne. Because when I was first trying to figure out my sexuality, I would think about being a lesbian, or being straight, or bi, and none of that seemed... right. But now I know that as androgyne, those terms don't have much meaning to me because those terms have to be used compared to something else. And since I don't identify as female, if I like females, that doesn't make me a lesbian at all.
I've cross-dressed before and I found it felt amazing when people actually thought I was a guy, and called me "he". But on a normal day-to-day basis, I don't think I'm androgynous enough to pass. I'm very short, 5'2", and I have long hair. I do enjoy my long hair, but I wish that I could be seen as a male with long hair if I so choose. So far that hasn't worked out. Often I wear guy's clothing, and I like it, but sometimes (a lot of times) my mom has issues with it because she thinks I look sloppy. I haven't as of yet come out to her or any of my family as androgyne. I've only come out to a few friends, and they have accepted it reletively well, but I'm not sure they understand it. I have one friend who I've had a number of conversations with about it, and I do think she gets it as she feels androgynous at times.
I've also come to the conclusion that I'm pansexual, because that fits in the best with this new identity, I believe. I have to experiment a bit more with that.
I've dual enrolled at my local college all of last year, and I'm going back again in a couple days. I was thinking about using a male name informally with my classmates to test it out. I would like to use the name Tristan and see how people percieve it. I know it's not the most masculine name, but I feel it is more androgyne than my current female name.
If anybody has any advice for me it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! I'm so glad to have found this community. I would love to talk to any of you about anything.
Thanks again. :)
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| name changing |
[11 Mar 2012|09:30pm] |
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I recently decided I want to change my name.
I have a very feminine figure, C cup breasts, thin waist and a soft facial structure. Yet I feel completely neutral when it comes to gender. My body doesn't match how I feel psychologically. No matter how hard I try to appear more androgynous, people always call me ma'am and miss. It is quite frustrating and usually ends in a long explanation, misunderstandings, laughing, or complete disregard and discrimination for opposing the traditional stereotypes...but I digress. I see myself as a near perfect balance of masculinity and femininity, or sometimes having no gender all together.
I want to change my name to something masculine to counter-balance my feminine body-structure. Ideally I would prefer my body to be intersexual, at times I feel like my breasts are unnecessary (other times I love them), at other times I feel like I have a penis (I believe the term is phantom, right? But if I had a penis, I would still love my vagina. Just not the bleeding), yet other times, I would prefer having no breasts, no penis, no vagina. Oh gods, you see my issue? I don't think hormones or surgery is something that I would do though, I'm way too hypochondriac for that, with all the negative side-effects the hormone may cause, I'd be a basket case just worrying about it. Not trusting doctors is another part of my problem. But I'm trying to find ways of working around that. Any suggestions are welcome though.
I believe changing my name to something more masculine would then counter-balance my physical body. The name I was pondering about was Vladimir. I've spoken with a few of my friends, siblings, my girlfriend, my mother and they all have very different ideas. That's a good thing, don't get me wrong, just a very confusing thing, like critiquing an artist halfway through their painting.
I guess, all in all, as much as I want to change and feel like me both on the inside and outside, change is a scary thing. And if I ever got over my phobias and anxieties, perhaps I would go through with a transition. But at the moment, I feel a name alteration would be sufficient, make people question what gender means when I introduce myself, and provide enough of a change for me to feel progress in the direction (there's a direction, but perhaps not a destination yet) I feel is right.
Yet why am I so nervous? Have any of you went through something similar? Any advice you wish to share? Comments are welcome too.
Thankyou :)
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| Hey everybody |
[08 Aug 2011|06:24pm] |
Hi. Nice to meet you all. Here's my introductory post thing. Please excuse my total lack of filter here, and I hope this isn't TMI.
I'm finally actually seriously thinking about all this gender stuff rather than just putting it out of my mind in hopes that I'll suddenly find myself feeling certain about it one way or the other for whatever reason. I've been kind of wondering for a while now (on and off for about 2 years or a little less, and then more seriously within the last six months) whether it's something cisgendered people do, to find oneself thinking of oneself as being the opposite sex all of a sudden. Until pretty recently, my gender's been kind of unimportant to me. If no one was stopping me from doing what I wanted with regards to things that generally correspond with gender or making me feel uncomfortable for not conforming to gender roles, I didn't really care what people called me or considered me. But now I actively want to know how to think of myself. I don't know if I'll start asking people to use third-gender pronouns or otherwise come out to people, but I would like to be more comfortable with myself gender-wise than I am right now.
I'm not really sure as to what term, exactly fits me. Some days I think I must be making it all up, either to be different or because I think I would make a crappy cisgirl, what with being physically deformed in appearance and being pretty unfeminine in some crucial respects. Part of me also treats every thing that might be seen as feminine that I do or think as evidence that I'm making this all up... even thought that really doesn't negate being androgynous when I think about it logically. But then I find myself in "guy mode" all of a sudden... including at times where it would be reasonable for me to be in "girl mode." (See: That awkward moment when you're buying a vibrator and you realize that you're thinking of yourself as a guy while talking to the sex store clerk... true story). I'd consider myself genderfluid, except for the facts that 1) the switches happen pretty frequently - it's more like by hour or interaction or activity than over periods of days or weeks, and 2) my range of variation between genders is pretty small - "guy mode" isn't necessarily all that masculine, and "girl mode" isn't particularly feminine. Androgyne feels most comfortable right now, since it seems to me to indicate small to moderate amounts of both masculine and feminine behavior and identification, which is accurate for me even if it's rather fleeting in both directions.
I'm pretty much terrified of the medical aspects of transitioning, both the surgery part and the injections part. I'm also fine with and prefer having female plumbing (minus the whole bleeding thing). However, I've always wanted to be flat-chested. From what I've heard, my body dysphoria's on the low end of things, but I still find myself going "WHY DO I NEED THESE, IT'D BE SO MUCH COOLER IF THEY WEREN'T THERE." I might be able to work myself up to pursue top surgery one day, but in the mean time I'm trying to justify spending money on a binder. If you all have any recommendations, both for price and for comfort, that would be helpful.
I'm still contemplating how to come out to, in probably this order, my therapist, my friends, and my parents. There's separate concerns there with all of them, most of them completely irrational and on the low end of bad responses a person can get. I worry that my therapist will think that I identify as too many weird things and that I'm making some or all of them up. I worry that my friends, especially my IRL trans* friends, will think I'm jumping on a bandwagon or something. I worry that my parents will also think I'm just trying to be different. This last one is probably the most rational of them, given that they took a while to accept my asexuality on the same basis, and my dad's made some obnoxious transphobic remarks about someone I know. On the one hand, I'm not very good at hiding things from people in my life, while on the other, it doesn't cause me immense distress for people to see me as female, so I'm not sure if coming out would actually make things worse. Also, I don't know whether, if I started to use third gender pronouns, they all have different connotations or not, or if it's just a matter of preference - any clarification on that would be helpful.
Thanks for reading this, and for any comments, and sorry if it's all over the place - it was either write it all out like this and see where it went, and I end up feeling like my lists don't quite convey everything as thoroughly as possible.
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| Community for Neutrois |
[29 Jul 2011|01:49pm] |
I thought I would let any other neutrois in this community know that I've created a community especially for us:
http://neutrois-life.livejournal.com/profile
I believe it will be useful to have a place to discuss topics specific to those of us who identify as genderless rather than as a mix of male and female.
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| Interviewees |
[05 Feb 2011|08:55am] |
Hey all!
I am a student at Parsons doing my senior thesis on gender issues and clothing. Would any of you be available to be interviewed on your feelings about clothing and gender?
The goal of my project is to get to know some people who are invested in gender issues and to make some clothing for them based on altering some of their existing clothes that they are unhappy with.
My email is priek825@newschool.edu and my phone is 216 210 4415. Thanks a lot for your help!
-Katie
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| Doctor Trouble: A RANT. |
[22 Jul 2010|12:28am] |
I DO NOT know where doctors get off minimalizing the concerns of genderqueer people.
Today I went to a new doctor and he told me I'm "not transgendered" because his outdated definition of transgendered excludes people such as myself.
I am FTMasculine rather than strictly "FTM", but this has absolutely no bearing on the legitimacy of my body dysphoria -- and I know this. He apparently doesn't.
I would contend that I suffer MORE ACUTELY from the body dysphoria factor than many or most FTMs. I'd also contend that how far you want to move along the gender spectrum does not necessarily correspond to the level of discomfort and suffering you experience. Most people have a hard time understanding this, and it's a problem: even trans-friendly doctors do not understand people who fall outside of the binary, or how to treat them. They act like our problems are less serious than those of "real" transgendered people.
I'm also sick to hell of people (health providers and transgendered people alike) being suspicious of me because I have long hair. Excuse my french, but FUCK THAT.
Sorry guys, I'm just so frustrated I don't know what to do.
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 gender_fluid |
[19 Jul 2010|02:34pm] |
This comm is here for everyone, from all labels, terms, and phrases to those that choose none at all. So if you'd find this interesting, please check us out!
gender_fluid — because labels are for soup cans.
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| Introduction and conundrums |
[17 Jul 2010|10:21pm] |
Love this place. Thank you guys for existing!
So, basically I'm female-bodied, but my entire identity runs very strongly toward a more male me. I want to be adrogynous, but with a male name, male pronouns, male chest, etc. Does that make sense? Luckily I'm very small chested, but binding is still a pain in the ass. I want to go on T to masculinize mself and get top surgery.
Right now I'm trying my damnedest and I'm still reading as female to everyone. Seriously. I'm very thin, petite, girlish face, so on and so forth. I do tend to confuse children and a few times people have called me 'that boy' or 'sir', only to look closer and backtrack furiously.
Heres my problem. I'm going to do this, no two ways around it.
( Read more...Collapse )
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| Invisibility |
[28 Jun 2010|12:56pm] |
I'm having a lot of trouble with this recently: the matter of invisibility.
I personally identify as more of a boy than a girl, but more of a feminine boy and a masculine girl. It's all mixed up and 100% queer through and through.
However, I don't exactly achieve much androgyny physically, and androgyny is my chosen presentation. I can't say I exactly have some burning, dysphoric desire to be in a male body- it would have been nice, I think, but I can't go back and change it. But what gets me is the invisibility.
I'm tiny, thin, and very feminine. No matter how I alter my behaviour, attempt to speak differently, it's a rare day people will identify me as anything other than WOMAN. Sometimes I don't really give a damn. I think, it's not my fault these idiots assume female is synonymous with woman.
But at this point in time, I can't stand it.
I want to be seen as an androgynous boy! And this is the only thing that gets me to thinking about top surgery and low dose hormones. Not that I really want to try and convince some medical goon I really have intense body dysphoria and therefore maybe I can be deserving of any kind of treatment.
And then I read material on trans* and genderqueer issues and perspectives, and all I hear about is how people who are physically masculine women or feminine men and feel the same way struggle against discrimination. But what about those of us who identify that way mentally, and aren't fortunate enough to have the matching body?
Gah.
I'm upset and feeling a little isolated, and at the moment I don't feel I have many places to vent. =/
Am I making sense? Or am I just unreasonably freaking out?
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| Surmounting paradigms (in relationships) |
[08 Jun 2010|06:28pm] |
The moment isn’t ripe just yet It’s lacking that sheen That grey-purple hue Of Melancholy’s sunset I anticipate the motion That anticipates the moment Neurochemical conversation; Voices, berating My tongue won’t move! The words can’t form But now’s the time to say it Meaning’s window is open; Delivery’s path curves. A hand on a shoulder A sensational alternative Succeeds in eliciting a glance Illuminated by Sparks, astonished; I swear I could have lit My cigarette by them Placed it between His full lips, so as to have A path to follow as he Walked away But he stayed And inhaled my presence At the moment I longed for him to be Addicted; the qualifier Of his air
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| Epicene pronoun survey |
[26 May 2010|12:31am] |
ATTENTION: EPICENE PRONOUN USERS
Hello! I am conducting a short non-scholarly study on epicene (gender-neutral) pronoun usage. I will be using these results to help me develop and publish a pamphlet on epicene pronouns for my university's GLBTQQIA resource center geared towards members of the queer community who are not familiar with them. Once produced, it will be available to others who are interested upon request.
All information is anonymously provided; you will not be asked for any information that could identify you.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at abarre at emich dot edu. Thank you again for your participation!
Additionally, if you're a member of any related communities/forums/etc where you think this would be relevant, please feel free to repost! Thank you!
Survey for epicene pronoun users
I apologize if you see this a few times, I'm posting to related communities that I am a member of.
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| Hello lovelies |
[01 May 2010|10:45am] |
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mood |
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 frustrated |
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I need a place to vent...
Like most of you I identify as an androgyne, and I'm fine feeling as though I don't suscribe to the antiquated gender paradigm. I'm used to feeling balanced and at peace.
But this morning I woke up with a strong desire to have female anatomy. Still feeling as though I am of a fluid gender, but desiring the female anatomy instead of the male anatomy.
It has just...startled me a little. As I've been writing this down I've regained my internal composure, though, so I must thank you all before you've even read this!
I can't describe how beautiful it feels to be able to come to a like-minded and accepting community with these problems.
Thank you all so much x
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| Genderqueer spots? |
[01 Apr 2010|08:29pm] |
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Anyone know of any good genderqueer communities online? What are your favourites of gender-variant folks?
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| Hi... |
[28 Mar 2010|02:59pm] |
Hi, I am new to this community, and let me just say I am so glad to have found it...
I have always felt very uncomfortable as my 'biological' sex, but I knew I was not transgendered. after much thought and soul searching I realized that i was an androgyne, but no one seems to really 'get' that. they try to see me as one gender or the other, which i have never been comfortable as.
SO...
hello, and thank you.
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| Writing About Invented Gender-Neutral Pronouns |
[04 Mar 2010|06:40pm] |
A little while ago, I wrote up a blog piece about invented gender-neutral pronouns, comparing some of the ones that seemed most capable of being adopted in the English language (ze/hir, ze/zir, xe/xem/xyr, ey/em/eir, ve/ver/vis and ne/nem/nir), and converting Alice's pronouns in a passage of Alice in Wonderland to each of these so that readers can compare for themselves how each pronoun flows in the language. I want to say right away that my comparison isn't meant to judge or belittle anyone who personally uses the pronouns I criticized or ones I didn't mention: I completely believe in your right to use these pronouns, and I think people should be able to use whatever pronouns for themselves that they're comfortable with. My goal is just to find which one would be easiest for people to adopt generally on a universal scale. I realize that this is very difficult and unlikely, but I like to think that it's possible - especially since with the rise of the internet and semi-anonymity, even people unconnected to the genderqueer community run into the dilemma of how to pronounize someone whose gender is unknown.
I also compiled a list of comprehensive links on this blog, listing every (non-redundant) resource I could find relating to gender-neutral pronouns, since the only comprehensive link-lists I found haven't been revised since 2004, and I thought some updating might be due.
I hope this is helpful as a resource, but more importantly, I'd love to hear feedback from the community. Although I researched the topic beforehand, I've written this on my own so far and it'd be great to hear new perspectives from others with experience on this topic. Everyone has personal preferences when it comes to pronouns, but has anyone done any experiments comparing the different pronouns and seeing which ones are easiest to get used to? I've tried rewriting passages with various pronouns and then seeing how easy it is to read on paper/say aloud, but I haven't done any serious experimenting, and I'd love to see if anyone else has.
The blog in question can be found here: http://genderneutralpronoun.wordpress.com/
(Crossposted to _hmm, androgynes, bigender, genderqueer, postqueer)
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